


These Things Left Untouched

by Starren_Moonstone



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort (mostly comfort), M/M, Set in Episodes 159-160 | Scottish Safehouse Period (The Magnus Archives), Trans!Martin, hair cuts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:21:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27851606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starren_Moonstone/pseuds/Starren_Moonstone
Summary: Martin finally thinks about his hair and decides what he wants to do with it.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Comments: 4
Kudos: 62
Collections: The Magnus Archives Flash Fanwork Challenge





	These Things Left Untouched

**Author's Note:**

> This is the week one story I wrote for The Magnus Archives Flash Fiction Challenge. The prompts I used were haircuts and choices. Hope y'all enjoy!

Martin stares at his reflection with a resigned expression on his face. His hair had grown out a lot since he started working with Peter. It was a mixture of negligence as well as not wanting to look like his father. Martin tightly closes his eyes, as the painful memory of what Elias… well, Jonah, forced into his head washes over his consciousness again. His mother’s rage, something that he had carried for years, just thrown at him by his boss. It just hurt. Even now, knowing this is the memory that will stick with him whenever he thinks about his mother. 

And at the same time, Martin hates his hair long. It looks wrong. It always did. He had it long as a kid for years, always putting it up and out of the way in a bun. Sometimes the girls in the school yard would braid it, and while the motion was nice, it just looked wrong afterward. Currently, Martin has his long hair down, white from being in the Lonely. Nothing feels right, and it hurts.

“Martin! There you…” Jon pauses at the door to the bathroom, seeing Martin’s expression. 

Martin opens is mouth, trying to find some words to get Jon not to worry about him. But nothing comes, because that task is near impossible. Jon will worry no matter what Martin says. If the past few months have been any consideration of that. 

“Are you alright?” Jon walks in, and tentatively puts a hand on Martin’s shoulder, the part covered by a plain white t-shirt.

Martin takes a deep breath and shakes his head. It’s… a lot to admit that he isn’t alright, especially with something so small. “Tea?” he managed to get out.

“I’ll put the kettle on,” Jon says. He lingers for a moment before heading to the kitchen. The look on his face cut through Martin. It wasn’t a bad look… it was just pity, and Martin hated that. Looks of pity make him feel helpless in a situation. 

Martin looks at the mirror again, before pulling his hair back into a low pony tail and joins Jon in the kitchen. There are two mug out already, with tea bags waiting for the kettle to boil. Jon is rarely the one to make tea, since it’s Martin’s thing. Usually, though, when it does happen, Martin comes up behind Jon and envelops him in a hug. Today though, Martin sits at the table. Hands folded on the table. Jon notices and leans back on the counter. 

“What’s wrong?” Jon asks quietly. There is no harshness in his voice, only a small concern.

“It’s my hair, Jon. I hate it.” There, he said it. 

Jon squints at the top of Martin’s head. “We could dye it,” Jon said, “I think I noticed some colors last time we were in the village.”

“It’s not the color.” But it certainly didn’t help. “I’ve never liked my hair long, but I also don’t want it short either.”

“…you could just shave it all off and go bald.” Martin grimaces, and Jon smiles sheepishly. “Guess not.”

“It just feels awful.”

Jon walks over and stands behind Martin. He takes out the hair tie and runs his hands through Martin’s hair. “Why do you not want it short?” Jon asks curiously.

“I look too much like my father.”

“Ah.” A pausing silence drops in the room. Jon gathers up Martin’s hair again, and ties it back with the hair tie, a little lower than Martin had it in before. “For what it’s worth, this way makes you look like a distinguished gentleman.”

Martin snorts. “Since when?”

“It was popular in the 1700’s.”

“And how long ago was that, Jon?”

The tea kettle saved Jon. “I still think you will feel better if you dye it a different color.” Jon places the mug of green tea in front of Martin. “I’ll even join you in coloring it and we can match.”

“As much as I appreciate it, Jon, I don’t think I will. I don’t want any attention brought to may hair.” He stares at the tea in front of him. He hated feeling so torn.

“…we can look at some different hairstyles,” Jon suggested, “We can go to the village, pick up some magazine, and see what you like. With your hair at this length, you could do whatever you want with it.”

Martin makes an noncommittal sound. He thinks about it for the rest of the day, as the two of them putter around the cottage in a way that Martin could never imagine doing five years ago. It just seemed… so simple but so unattainable. He smiles at Jon, who has a hard thinking face on, staring at a recipe book. He would do anything to keep this.

Martin decides to cut his hair after two days. The dysphoria had been getting too much for him, and his mother is no longer around. There is still some guilt in it, but… he needed to start living for himself. He gets in front of the mirror, and brings his hair back into a pony tail one more time. 

“I could braid it,” Jon offers, looking on from the bathroom doorway. Martin gave him a look, which makes Jon take it back a bit. “For… um… if you wanted to save it…”

“Why would I want to save it?”

“…prosperity?” Jon suggests awkwardly, which makes Martin laugh.

“I’m not keeping my hair, Jon.”

Jon opened his mouth a few times, trying to get a rebuttal. In the end, he nods. 

Martin grabs the kitchen sheers and unceremoniously cuts off the pony tail. It’s not a simple cut, because scissors don’t work like that on hair, but his hair does get cut. He already feels a lot better. 

“So… did you want the razor?” Jon asks, holding it up.

Martin nods, and lets Jon have at it with his hair. 


End file.
